Royal North Shore Hospital

Royal North Shore Hospital was opened as a cottage hospital in 1885. However, with the growth of the North Shore of Sydney the hospital was expanded and the hospital commenced on its present site in 1903. Royal North Shore became a teaching hospital of the University of Sydney in 1948. Royal North Shore Hospital provides a comprehensive range of medical services to the Upper and Lower North Shore areas of Sydney as well as being a tertiary referral
service statewide.

Royal North Shore has a bed capacity of approximately 736 which makes it one of the largest general hospitals in Australia. The Emergency Department is designated as a major trauma centre for the northern region as well as providing a range of sub-specialty services in medicine, surgery, critical care, anaesthetics, aged care, mental health, drug and alcohol, obstetrics and gynaecology, neonatology and paediatrics.

Royal North Shore Hospital is a bus ride or train ride from Sydney City Centre. There is easy access by public transport to all parts of the Sydney metropolitan area. Medical Students may use the staff cafeteria, and Staff Recreation Centre (subject to paying a small fee). There is a large sports oval adjacent to the hospital for soccer,rugby or Aussie rules.

Work commenced in 2008 on the new $950 million Royal North Shore Hospital and Community Health Services project which will deliver patient-centred buildings of outstanding civic quality, with a flexible design that can expand to meet future healthcare needs. The community health building is expected to be completed in mid 2011, and the new main hospital building by mid 2013.

The redevelopment will consolidate 53 outdated buildings on the Royal North Shore Hospital campus into two impressive purpose-built, patient-centred facilities that can expand to meet future healthcare needs.

On completion, the redeveloped Royal North Shore Hospital will offer a new acute services facility, a Community Health building and refurbishment to some existing buildings, providing:

• 462 acute beds to complement the 124 beds provided within the already completed Douglas Building;
  
  40 acute mental health beds;
• Additional chemotherapy and renal dialysis chairs;
• Enhanced diagnostic services and ambulatory care services;
• A total of 29 procedure and operating rooms.

The new main hospital building will be a relatively low rise, with innovative colour-coded internal spaces to help people navigate the hospital environment. The design maximises local views, light and space to create a welcoming, healing environment, while the compact footprint ensures that every department is within two minutes walk of the main lift core.

The new community health building located on Herbert Street will have a welcoming street frontage and a range of facilities to support local community and community mental health services.

Identification badges should be displayed at all times while in the hospital.